1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly, to an exit roller system for an imaging apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An imaging apparatus, such as a multifunction device or printer, may include an ink jet print engine that forms an image on a sheet of print media, such as paper, by ejecting ink from a plurality of ink jetting nozzles of an ink jet printhead to form a pattern of ink dots on the sheet of print media. Such an ink jet print engine typically includes a reciprocating printhead carrier that transports one or more ink jet printheads across the print medium along a bi-directional scanning path defining a print zone of the printer. Typically, the mid-frame provides media support at or near the print zone. A sheet feeding mechanism is used to advance the print medium sheet in a media feed direction through the print zone between scans in the main scan direction, or after all data intended to be printed with the print medium at a particular stationary position has been completed. One such sheet feed mechanism includes a feed roller, also sometimes referred to as an index roller, and a corresponding pinch roller arrangement located upstream of the print zone, and an exit roller and corresponding pressure roller arrangement, such as a plurality of star wheels, located downstream of the print zone.
A common problem in ink jet printers is the occurrence of print artifacts due to poorly maintained printhead-to-print medium gap. When feeding multiple media types (i.e., plain paper, glossy paper, transparencies, envelopes, etc.) a trade off is often made by increasing this gap to avoid the printhead scraping the paper. This results in increased defects from misdirected nozzles and more poorly formed drops, and places a higher requirement on printhead performance to achieve the desired level of print quality.